Myopia is becoming more and more common in the adult population of Europe. In the 25-29 age group, this visual defect occurs in 47%. people – shows the analysis of the results of 15 studies, published in the journal “Ophthalmology”.
In the future, this may have serious economic consequences, as high myopia entails the risk of losing vision in old age.
A total of over 60 people participated in the study, which was analyzed by scientists from the European Eye Epidemiology Consortium. adult people.
Researchers have calculated that about a quarter of the adult European population is nearsighted, but in the 25-29 age group this percentage is almost twice as high. This means that the prevalence of this defect is increasing.
The analysis also confirmed previous observations that there is a strong relationship between myopia and the level of education – the percentage of people with this disability was approximately twice as high in the group of people with tertiary education compared to those who left their education at the primary school stage.
According to the authors of the study, the following factors may contribute to the increase in the incidence of myopia in the European population: the fact that young people devote more and more time to study, and moreover, more intensive use of computers and shorter outdoor activities (lack of daylight is a known risk factor for myopia) .
At the same time, researchers estimate that these are not the only factors that may explain the increase in the incidence of this eye defect. They remind us that family predispositions also play a role here.
Myopia generally develops during childhood and adolescence. It is most often caused by the lengthening of the eyeball, which causes the light rays to focus not on the retina but in front of it. As a result, there is blurred vision that needs to be corrected by wearing glasses, contact lenses, or with laser surgery. High myopia is also accompanied by an increased risk of serious eye diseases, such as detachment or damage to the retina, and glaucoma.
“We knew that the prevalence of myopia has increased in some regions of the world – nearly 8 out of 10 young people in urban areas in East Asia suffer from this visual impairment. It is interesting to discover that a similar trend is taking place in Europe. This will have significant consequences in the future, as this condition may pose a risk of blindness in old age, especially in people with very high myopia, ”comments lead author Katie Williams of King’s College London.
In turn, prof. Chris Hammond from King’s College, who also participated in the analysis, points out that research is needed to clarify the exact factors responsible for the increase in the incidence of myopia. “The study was conducted on adults, and we do not know what impact the increasing use of computers, tablets and mobile phones has on the development of eyesight in children” – concludes the researcher.